Autumn leaves and a clean sweep: it's the October Fledgling Fly thread (2019)

[Slowchirp]

Welcome to the thread where we (loosely) follow the Flylady housekeeping system here to combat CHAOS (can't have anyone over syndrome) with a load of , chat and mutual support along the way. Quite a few of us have been on here for a while, so for that reason, we may seem cliquey, but we really aren't, and all newcomers, lurkers, returnees, regulars, and intermittent regulars are very welcome!

Every day I will post a link to the activities for "Today" which summarises everything you need on a daily basis if you want to follow the system strictly, but we tend to adapt it to suit our individual circumstances, homes, and energy-levels!

Please note that, athough Flylady is keen for us to check in to the website, we've recently had a few concerns wrt security, so although there is lots of useful info on the site, it's best not download it or put any of your personal details into the website for now, or sign up to the (many and frequent) e-mails (but your choice as some fledglings find the latter helpful).

More information on getting started available:
here (containing baby-steps!) but please don't hesitate to ask if you have any further qs.

There are 4 levels for Flying:
-Baby steps - good for starting a routine and overcoming the perfection crippling effect
-Baby steps and missions - basic routine + more in depth tasks
-Baby steps, missions, and deep cleaning (if you are at that stage).
You can't clean clutter so don't consider this one if you need the next level.
-Flying combined with a decluttering system (kondo/unfuck etc etc) let's be honest fly lady is good for routine but not so quick with the decluttering results sometimes.

There is NO wrong or right way of doing this, it is about adapting the system to suit your life circumstances, which will be different from someone else's, and don't be put off by the barftastically twee nature of the Flylady site, the underlying system is sound. Feel free to ignore any step or routine that doesn't suit you or your home! No perfectionism allowed!

And when it all gets too much: come and take a seat by the fire in our specially adapted "naughty" corner where you can enjoy virtual and and lots of support from fellow fledglings.

More info follows (but again, please note we advise only looking at the pdfs and not downloading them):

** launch pad (general info) here

** daily babysteps pdf (ignore the ones that don't suit you or your home) here

** week day missions (some fledglings find it easier to do them at weekends) here

** info about zones (explanation of how zones work) here

** weekly zones (a rough weekly guide to which area of the house we are tackling currently, again adapt to suit yourself) here and here

** daily focus (helpful guide to allocate a certain day for a certain task) here and here

** deep cleaning lists pdf (only attempt when you have decluttered as you can't clean clutter!) here

Good luck and happy Flying one and all!

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Last but not least, a huge thank you to ChicCroissant for running such a lovely (and busy!) September thread [cake[

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Sc I hope the writing is going well ! Good luck !!

Bower I keep my shower/ body lotions until I've used them all, I have a box in my room with unopened and only keep the ones I'm using in the bathroom.

Hi,
Yeah I don't understand why people don't I had a friend that was often taking stuff to the charity shop. I never bought her toiletries for that reason. I would feel bad if someone bought it for me and I didn't bother to use it. Apart from the fact I haven't bought any for years and years just deodorant and shampoo.

Sorry a bit rushed tonight, just posting links and running; will catch up with everyone tomorrow (although not much time then either as have guest + entourage arriving). Hope everyone ok and Flying well!

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Baby-step no.16 for Wed 16 Oct: here

Launch pad link: here

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Oh no sc

I can’t sleep and I’m hungry. Been sitting drawing too long, oops

Morning all!!
Another crap sleep,up when dark and before the birds...

Tada
Fed cats
Bleach lav
Wash on(towels)
2hours on cupboard understairs-
Sorted huge box+bag wool.ditched couple that were sticky,had dead spiders inbedded in itbut filled two carriers and but bag in large lid less crate.
sifted thru mess to locate knitting needles,paired and now held together with little hair bobbles
tore into smaller pieces lots boxes from toys we no longer have and put in bag for recycling
Sifted thru knitting patterns I've been hoarding,decent copies I won't use in chazza bag,hideous things turn from mags(what was I thinking?)in recycling bag put into plastic wallet good ones for keeping and tucked into crate
Sorted thru 8carrier bags random crap,almost all made its way into bin or recycling!
Scrub a patch of mould with bleach and wiped
Washed floor with zoflora,thus thansforming dank cupboard of death if you open the door into "linen fresh" smell.currently only the two shelving units of games in there as I wait for floor to dry then I can put the crate of wool bits back in
S
Still need sort out the craft crate...

Made zoolets breakfasts
Sorted snacks for school
Drag dd2 out if bed with torrent if abuse levelled at me cos tired and stressed as last night she spent 4hours on I media homework and had no time or coherence for maths sheet she was given yesterday that's due in today(she was off,the teacher was and he gave her it and said it needs doing,but another girl didn't get one as he had "run out if homework sheets"it was 3xa4 pages.and it's not a strong subject for her)
Do lil zoo hair(as requested) ok then got yelled at for catching on a tangle she had missed!
Talk about a tinhat kind of morning!!
Wave girls off
Wash in dryer,more on

We are going to see dd1 new pup today.hes having his shots at vet and they're picking us up on way home for a chance to have a little play with him...D's excited but never encountered a puppy before and I am a bit concerned it will be a bit too boisterous for him...

morning everyone

Zoo I don't know how you function on so little sleep 😴

Sc I hope you managed to reach your deadlines!

I haven't been flying much this week, everyone is clean washed and fed so that's good enough for now. I'm at work this morning so I'll try and get a tada list this afternoon, even if it's only a 15 minute blast , it'll be better than nothing .

Been catching up on thread from Fri you have been busy.

Welcome tilandpop🍫

🏅zoo, SC and I’ve.

So I am having a lie in ...a bit longer than intended. Getting up now. Extra tablets plus some red wine meant I was quite dopey this morning. Very relaxed at the moment but sure it won’t last.
Had yummy meal last night. DH had bought two steaks while I was away. He ate salmon I brought back as less people than expected and I had steak. Had sweet potato fries ( baked) and slow roast veg with garlic mushrooms from freezer at butchers. Plus red and black berries and apple crumble. Left overs of that for tonight.
I had to empty freezer at project so have left over casserole to pop in over later because as it was wet and cold on Sunday it didn’t defrost on the 1 1/2 hr journey. So several meals in freezer. Means I can concentrate on mess.
To do
Going to do bedroom this morning
and clean bathroom
Clean chicken out
Two loads for wash as did sheets and towels from project on Mon/Tues
De clutter one bag of school stuff.

Will pop in later. Ned arrived with sob story about weather and not getting here. I think he was holed up in some pub somewhere. Anyway he did an hours ironing yesterday. After wash is dry and he has done that I will send him on so get in line and no pushing!

DH brought me a cup of tea which is why I have only just got up. I have had to get up early for appointments and to send important emails. I am hoping no more today so I can relax a bit and keep destress. GP looked thoughtful last night. I think he feels a bit sorry for me at the moment. My hip aches this morning but he says that is a good sign.

Hi all again, thank you so much for supportive words re: documents. Sorry to be awol from thread - haven't caught up properly yet but hope everyone ok.

I got it all translated and signed on time and ready for the meeting this morning (stressful). Had a list of 20 documents they required. Except now the criteria have changed since the last time I had a face-to-face four months ago and they have made it all harder with more proof/documentation required. I managed not to burst in to tears at the desk but felt like it. Back to not quite square one but nearly.

Have guests arriving tonight and house is a tip so had better carry on.

Big waves to all fledglings! Promise to catch up properly in a day or three!

Another lively morning in the Croissant household - came down to find that a large amount of fish in our fish tank had shuffled off their watery coil (no idea why, that's never happened before) so will keep an eye on the tank and keep testing the water. Another electrical item was beeping incessantly due to dead batteries, and then I went for my invasive camera-in-the-personal-plumbing test and they want to repeat it Managed to stay slightly classy when the Consultant said 'next time we do this' by saying 'next time' and not WTF which was what I was really thinking

Currently eating crisps and drinking lots of fluid. And watching the remaining fish closely. Place your bets for tomorrow morning

Apart from that, it's all tip-top here DD's food tech project made a tasty tea so that was nice.

Must.Attempt.Flying.

Well done for remaining classy
Hope fish aren't being poisoned
SC I'm so sorry,bloody Brexit ruining everything...
Good luck with guests
Bower I love baked sweet potato wedges

Tada
Finished cupboard understairs-,bar the recipe sorting
It looks fab,easy access and can see everything clearly

Visited pup(super cute)
Pop chazza in dd1 car after and ditch 3carrier bags I racked up from cupboard
Lunch
Find home for the excess will hoard(knit and natter at church,will drop off tomorrow morning)

*wool not will

Are we not getting a photo of the pup then, you know me and photos

Have done some washing up, still more to do!

For you chic

I flagging...
Must boot self up bum and hit one more set tasks before dinner!!

Aim-
Make a start on my hovel (of "stuff" with no homes) room...

Dinner
Fish fingers,mash and broccoli for littlies
Red pepper and chorizo veg sausages,sweet potato wedges with lots salt and pepper.big tray squash,broccoli,red onion,courgette and broccoli for dd2 and I

Girls are doing homework,D's on PlayStation

The jumpers dried on airer,so they're folded and put away

Think I shall tackle bookshelves in my room,nothing too difficult when I'm running out of steam,but need tackling as dusty AF

he's gorgeous, he'll grow into those legs! What a cutie.

OMG what did I miss??! Whose puppy zoo?? So cute!! 😍

I needed a cute puppy picture, had a bad afternoon, arguments and work stress. Just having a large g&t

Housework... hmm...I made a fish pie. That's about all.

Hope everyone is okay, I'm very behind on the thread so not sure what I've missed sorry.

foxes dd1 fiance begged for him.we traditionally cat family,his have cats but are deffo doc people.he is utterly besotted and it whimpers if he walks away from him.(he has to wait for dd1 to distract so he can sneak off to work)

Chic well done for staying classy, hopefully the next one will be the last for you

Zoo that puppy is gorgeous! How's dd coping with him/her?

Sc I suppose if you're writing it's a decent excuse to get out of the housework passing you

Tada
Work
Picked dd2 from nursery
Lunch
Nipped to Sainsbury's half price toy sale, made a start on Christmas
Watched DS's school football game
Got home about 515 and popped tea on
Sorted hiding place out for Santa gifts
Dd2 to bed
Ds reading

The place is an absolute tip but I'm so tired I have no motivation to get the evening routine done ....... may just sit, eat chocolate and wait to see if a magic cleaning fairy shows up

Tidy she loves him,but initially found very stressful having an in-house trained dog tiddling on carpet.he also missed a puppy pad for poop and then panicked and ran thru it backwards then try run up the stairs having left poo prints on carpet and hall laminate(stair carpets cream so thank the lord it was never made the stairs!!)she's invested in carpet cleaner and bit paranoid about "house smelling like dog" but she said herself is getting more relaxed over it.she enjoys the cuddles when fiance at work as pup lays on sofa with her and sleeps whilst she binge watches Netflix.
She's said no pup upstairs so she has a dog free space,esp as asthmatic and when unwell pet hair can cause her to feel more poorly. Think a month or two she be so besotted will stop freaking(says one who has diagnosed OCD and has cats furballing and occasionally eat things shouldn't then step in runny poop and strolling around leaving trail little poo prints... And I reach point I just wipe it up without bat an eyelid)

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Baby-step no.17 for Thurs 17 Oct: here It's the bed-time one!

Launch pad link: here

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OOOoooohhhh pupppyyyyy! How lovely! He is utterly gorgeous Zoo what a face! Such lovely eyes Hope he wasn't too boisterous for ds. Hopefully they can both have a calming effect on one another! And well done on decluttering 3 bags for chazza! And on cupboard of doom transformation! And freezer organisation! And kitchen drawer sorting!
Another amazing list overall

Thank you for the Tidy and well done for making a start on the c-word thingy! Good list too! Hope magic cleaning fairy made her presence felt!

Sorry you had such a stressful afternoon Foxes! I hope fish pie (classic nursery/comfort food) had a soothing effect! Sadly having done very well with my diet up to now, I ate my way through a quarter of a baguette with butter and rather good (if I do say so myself) zingy plum jam to soothe my own stress this afternoon! Must find a healthier way to do that!

Chic so glad appt is over and done with for now! Sorry there has to be a next time though! Poor fish! Was it something nasty that arrived with live plants do you think? Hope you haven't had to practice any fishy resusitations tonight!

Good to see you had a much-deserved lie in Bower! Glad Unison being supportive and good luck with paper decluttering! Don't have many excess smellies here as I am the one that tends to buy them for others and I'm rather parsimonious for myself and make a bar of Pear's soap last!

Hope you get a better night's sleep tonight Laputa!

Well done I've You do well to get anything done with a velcro baby, never mind a v respectable list like that one

Waves to everyone else!

Feeling considerably more chipper this evening as I was able to find the extra paperwork I need for my dossier more easily than I had imagined. Still a few things to find but I have broken the back of it!

Also (and this is major!) dd saw that I was stressed and spent two whole hours tidying the sitting room in advance of visitors arriving! I was so thrilled and proud of her and very thankful indeed As those of you with teens will appreciate, this is a real breakthrough, that she took note of someone else's feelings and saw that I was upset >she took the initiative and decided to help>and followed that decision through with action.Whoo-hoo! Dare I hope that we are coming through the darkest bit of the adolescent tunnel ?

Ta da:
dog walk with dh who is very stressed
Dw emptied
Wm on
Bathroom s&S
scurried around looking for papers
took call from school (I am class liaison person for my sins)
collected signed and translated doc from state registered translation woman in nick of time
drove in rain to local authority equiv
waited nervously
had meeting
went back home buying bread and more veg on way back
cried and panicked
then looked for more documentation like a madwoman for 2.5 hrs through several layers of cardboard boxes
then fried mince and chopped huge mound of carrots, onions, celery, leeks, garlic, turnips, potatoes and broccoli to make very veg heavy shepherd's pie
talked to and helped dd with some hwk
fetched visitor from station
served and left kitchen in messy heap
then watched More Money Than Sense Eat Well for Less (participants were great people but their diets were so poor I was surprised they were alive albeit with type2 diabetes)
made up visitors beds
went to office with dh to find and photocpy more documents
walked furries again in rain
discussed dh packing/wardrobe for long trip

"See" you all in the morning! G'night all!

That should have read veg-heavy - didn't mean I made a heavy shepherd's pie - well I hope not anyway

Zoo I'm with your dd1 on the doggy smells. I really am paranoid about my sitting room smelling of wet furry. Means lots of dog blanket and sofa cover washing! It does take a while to get used to the less pleasant aspects of dog husbandry. Can cope with the poo ok. Vom is less pleasant but a good tip is to use clumping cat litter. Just sprinkle over offending pile - it absorbs odours and any fluids - then not so offensive to sweep up.

Hope no-one is eating breakfast while reading last para!

G'night all!

Good morning! Unusual for me to be the first person on here in the morning...

Zoo ah, yes, I think I remember you saying about that now. The dog is so cute, they do take a while to settle in, when my parents got their latest 2 dogs it took them months to get used to them and they were exhausted!

I had a dog as a teenager who I absolutely adored, they are lovely companions. Better than my cat who mostly doesn't want to know me 😂. Although I appreciate some cats are very loving!!

Ds was up a lot in the night, bad dreams I think, so I'm still tired. Bad week of sleep this week.